Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? is a science fiction/horror-themed children's television series. The original series was a joint production between the Canadian companies YTV and Cinar, and the American company Nickelodeon. The show was filmed in Montreal, Quebec. The episode "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" was aired as a pilot on the evening of October 31, 1990. The series was aired from January 16, 1991 to February 3, 1996 on Nickelodeon's SNICK. A revived series with new directors, writers, and cast was produced by Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2000 and also played on SNICK. Reruns of the series have since been broadcast internationally, including airings in the United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America, and the Czech Republic. SciFi veteran David Winning directed ten episodes, including "Tale of the Dream Girl", "Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle" and "Tale of the Long Ago Locket". Background Both series revolved around a group of adolescents who referred to themselves as "The Midnight Society". Every week, at a secret location in the woods, one member would tell a scary story to the group. The actual story, rather than the telling, was displayed to the television viewer. The story was shown between the group's arrival at the site and their departure. Each storyteller would begin their story by saying "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story..." at which point he or she would toss plain sugar into a campfire to heighten the flames and produce an eerie white smoke. The storyteller would continue by announcing its title (The Tale of...). The themes of the stories usually revolved around paranormal phenomena, such as ghosts, magic, haunted houses, magical curses, aliens, witches and the like coming into contact with normal teenagers. Usually, the episodes were either filmed in the woods, in abandoned houses, or in public places like schools or libraries. Sources of these tales varied; many were adaptations of public domain fairytales and short stories or urban legends. For example, "The Tale of the Twisted Claw" is considered to be an adaptation of W.W. Jacobs' short story "The Monkey's Paw". Many of the horror stories had somewhat "happy" endings; for example, in the episode "The Tale of the Lonely Ghost", a dead child and her elderly mother were reunited. Nearly every story focused on ending with a resolution and the main character's safe escape. At the end of every episode (with the exception of "The Tale of the Crimson Clown", "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", "The Tale of the Night Shift", "The Tale Of The Zombie Dice", and "The Tale of the Silver Sight (Part 1)") one character would throw a red bucket of water onto the fire, and the group would leave the campsite. Cast members First series (1990 – 1996) Second series (1999 – 2000) Recurring characters One of the more significant recurring characters was Sardo (Richard Dumont), owner of "Sardo's Magic Mansion" (a magic shop). He would often attempt to sell a character a "prized" item, rarely succeeding. He often had items in his shop that contained real properties of magic, yet did not know until it was revealed in the story. One of the most memorable recurring jokes in the series occurred when someone would address him as "Mr. Sardo". He would then get irritated and exclaim: "No 'mister'; accent on the 'doh'!" Although he rarely got what he wanted, he would often end up helping the characters, often intentionally. He appeared in Gary's stories. Another recurring character was Dr. Vink (Aron Tager). He was a physically imposing man who would often appear as a mad scientist, sorcerer, and the like. He would also get his name mispronounced. When this happened, he would respond "Vink. With a va-va-va." Often, the protagonist would call him a "nutbag" behind his back, assuming he could not hear him, only to have him reply later, "...and I am not a nutbag." He appeared in Frank's stories. Aron Tager also played the carnival worker who stands in front of the Funhouse and invites people to go inside in "The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark". Both of these characters appear in the double episode "The Tale of Cutter's Treasure", which was told by both Frank and Gary. Episode List Season 1 1. The Tale of the Phantom Cab 2. The Tale of Laughing in the Dark 3. The Tale of the Lonely Ghost 4. The Tale of the Twisted Claw 5. The Tale of the Hungry Hounds 6. The Tale of the Super Specs 7. The Tale of the Captured Souls 8. The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors 9. The Tale of the Sorcerer's Apprentice 10. The Tale of Jake and the Leprechaun 11. The Tale of the Dark Music 12. The Tale of the Prom Queen 13. The Tale of the Pinball Wizard Season 2 14. The Tale of the Final Wish 15. The Tale of the Midnight Madness 16. The Tale of Locker 22 17. The Tale of the Thirteenth Floor 18. The Tale of the Dream Machine 19. The Tale of the Dark Dragon 20. The Tale of the Whispering Walls 21. The Tale of the Frozen Ghost 22. The Tale of the Full Moon 23. The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle 24. The Tale of the Magician's Assistant 25. The Tale of the Hatching 26. The Tale of Old Man Corcoran Season 3 27. The Tale of the Midnight Ride 28. The Tale of Apartment 214 29. The Tale of Watcher's Woods 30. The Tale of the Phone Police 31. The Tale of the Doll Maker 32. The Tale of the Bookish Babysitter 33. The Tale of the Carved Stone 34. The Tale of the Guardian's Curse 35. The Tale of the Curious Camera 36. The Tale of the Dream Girl 37. The Tale of the Quicksilver 38. The Tale of the Crimson Clown 39. The Tale of the Dangerous Soup Season 4 40. The Tale of the Renegade Virus 41. The Tale of the Long Ago Locket 42. The Tale of the Water Demons 43. The Tale of Cutter's Treasure (1) 44. The Tale of Cutter's Treasure (2) 45. The Tale of the Quiet Librarian 46. The Tale of the Silent Servant 47. The Tale of the Room for Rent 48. The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner 49. The Tale of the Fire Ghost 50. The Tale of the Closet Keepers 51. The Tale of the Unfinished Painting 52. The Tale of Train Magic Season 5 53. The Tale of the Dead Man's Float 54. The Tale of Station 109.1 55. The Tale of the Mystical Mirror 56. The Tale of the Chameleons 57. The Tale of Prisoner's Past 58. The Tale of C7 59. The Tale of Manaha 60. The Tale of the Unexpected Visitor 61. The Tale of the Vacant Lot 62. The Tale of a Door Unlocked 63. The Tale of the Night Shift 64. The Tale of the Jagged Sign 65. The Tale of Badge Season 6 66. The Tale of the Forever Game 67. The Tale of the Misfortune Cookie 68. The Tale of the Virtual Pets 69. The Tale of the Zombie Dice 70. The Tale of the Gruesome Gourmets 71. The Tale of Jake the Snake 72. The Tale of the Hunted 73. The Tale of the Wisdom Glass 74. The Tale of the Walking Shadow 75. The Tale of Oblivion 76. The Tale of Vampire Town 77. The Tale of the Secret Admirer 78. The Tale of Bigfoot Ridge Season 7 79. The Tale of the Silver Sight (1) 80. The Tale of the Silver Sight (2) 81. The Tale of the Silver Sight (3) 82. The Tale of the Lunar Locusts 83. The Tale of the Stone Maiden 84. The Tale of Highway 13 85. The Tale of the Reanimator 86. The Tale of the Time Trap 87. The Tale of the Photo Finish 88. The Tale of the Last Dance 89. The Tale of the Laser Maze 90. The Tale of the Many Faces 91. The Tale of the Night Nurse DVD Releases Season Releases Compilations External links * * Category:Live-action shows on Nickelodeon Category:Nickelodeon Category:Shows on Nickelodeon Category:Television Shows Category:TEENick